


The Blood in My Veins

by SparksMist



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien has cancer, Gabriel is a crappy father, Gen, Leukemia, Plagg is a good bean, Poor Adrien, Post Season 3, he has a real rough time, tags will be updated as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:35:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26291239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparksMist/pseuds/SparksMist
Summary: When Adrien learns that he has leukemia, his world is upended. How will he manage this and still be Chat Noir?
Comments: 6
Kudos: 58





	1. Bad News

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is deeply personal to me and is based loosely on my own experiences. I'll try to keep it as medically accurate as possible, but a few things will be a bit flexible, mostly the timeline of treatment. This is more of a way for me to process my own experiences, but if you're reading this, I hope you enjoy!

Adrien stared at his phone. He had Nino’s contact pulled up. He had typed and erased a dozen texts, almost called another dozen times, but had chickened out at the last second every time. He didn’t know how to say what he needed to.

How had this happened?

He hadn’t thought much about it at first. It didn’t seem that serious. He had been more tired than usual, but between fencing, schoolwork, modeling, and being Chat Noir, he had a lot on his plate with not enough time to do it all. Of course he was tired. 

There was the loss of appetite, but he had chalked that up to stress. Akuma attacks had become more frequent, finals were approaching, and his father wanted to start a new ad campaign for his new line, so there was a lot of pressure for the photoshoots to be perfect. He had always tended to lose his appetite when he was anxious or stressed out. 

The headaches? He was tired and stressed. He just needed some ibuprofen to get through the day. No big deal.

But then the bruises started showing up. Had he gotten them during an akuma fight? No, the suit protected him from most injuries, and any that he did sustain were fixed by Ladybug’s miraculous cure. They could have been from fencing. It’s a physical sport, so he gets hit fairly often. They would go away in time. There wasn’t any reason to worry, right?

But they didn’t go away. More started showing up, darker and larger than they should be. He couldn’t explain them away with fencing anymore. There wasn’t any explanation he could think of. And that’s when Adrien began to worry.

Something was wrong, but Adrien didn’t want it to be true. He had tried to cover the bruises, had powered through the exhaustion like being a superhero had taught him, but in the end he couldn’t pretend things were fine anymore.

A visit to the doctor. Blood drawn for tests. Home. Waiting. A trip back the next day for more tests. A doctor sitting him down. The disbelief and numbness that followed.

How was Adrien supposed to tell Nino that he had cancer?

Leukemia, to be specific. They were still running tests on his blood and his bone marrow in order to determine the specific type. His hipbone ached from the biopsy. It definitely wasn’t fun to have a giant needle shoved into a bone. He’d probably be sore from that for a while. Until they had more information from the tests, they couldn’t start treatment. Tomorrow they would go back to hopefully get the official diagnosis and make a plan.

Adrien didn’t want to think about what would come next. He would have to stop going to school. He would have to quit fencing. Would he get to see his friends. He would be alone. He would be alone. He would-

“Adrien.”

Plagg’s voice snapped him out of the spiral his thoughts had been stuck in. The black kwami was hovering in front of Adrien’s face. Adrien didn’t remember when he got there. “If you’re not going to call, how about ordering me some more camembert. I’m almost out.” 

Adrien shook his head to clear his thoughts and gave a small smile. “I’ll make sure to order some more as soon as I can.”

The little god continued to stare at him, cocking his head to the side.

“So are you actually going to call him?”

“I don’t know. Eventually,” Adrien replied. “I just don’t know what to say.” Hey, Nino. What’s up? Can you send me the math notes I missed today? I had to miss school because I apparently have cancer. Tell Alya I say hi.

“Don’t think about it too much. Just tell him.”

Adrien sighed. “Yeah, I will. I just need some time.”

He would need to tell his friends soon. With how prominent his family was, it was only a matter of time until the media found out. His friends deserved to hear it from him, not from a tabloid. He started going through a mental list of who he needed to tell. Nino, Chloe, Kagami, Marinette, Alya-

Ladybug.

Oh god. What was he going to do? How would he tell Ladybug? And then the most important question hit him.

“Plagg?” Adren said tentatively.

“Yeah, kid?”

“Will I still be able to be Chat Noir?”

The kwami froze. He floated where he was in silence for a while before he replied in a quiet voice, almost inaudibly, “I don’t know.”

Adrien slumped onto his bed, all energy draining out of him. Life was going to change drastically, and that was the one thing he couldn’t imagine losing. Giving up being Chat Noir was unthinkable. If he lost Chat Noir, he would lose the last little bit of freedom he had. He could endure anything if he was Chat Noir, if he had Ladybug at his side. But without that? He couldn’t imagine how he would make it through what was coming.

Plagg floated over to where Adrien was laying, nestling down beside him. “Hey, we don’t know what’s going to happen. But we’re going to figure it out together. You’re my holder, and I’m not going anywhere. Besides, who would I find that could buy me as much cheese as you do?”

Adrien smiled at the kwami’s reassurances. “You’re right, Plagg. We don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m going to do everything I can to keep being Chat Noir. Besides, I usually feel better when I’m transformed.”

“That would be the magic of the miraculous,” Plagg explained. “It’s the same magic that prevents you from injuries. I don’t think it would cure you or stop the symptoms, but the magic would help while you’re transformed.”

Adrien’s brow creased as he thought of an idea. “Magic. Would magic help me? What about Ladybug’s miraculous cure? Do you think that could heal me?”

Plagg sighed and shook his head. “No, I don’t think it would. Ladybug’s magic fixes damage done by other miraculouses. It doesn’t work on natural illnesses and injuries.”

Adrien closed his eyes. His momentary bit of hope was gone. This was too much. Too much to think about right now. Without realizing it, his eyes closed and he began drifting off to sleep. The last thing he heard was Plagg’s voice, so quiet he thought he might have imagined it.

“It’ll be okay, kid. It’ll be okay.”


	2. This is real

Adrien woke up suddenly to knocking on the door. That was weird. He usually got up with his alarm. A glance at the clock on his bedside table told him that it was almost ten o’clock. Ten?

Adrien sat bolt upright in bed, his head spinning from the sudden movement. He should be at school by now! Why hadn’t Nathalie come to wake him up sooner? He was already really late!

“Adrien, are you awake?” Nathalie’s voice came through the door. “We need to leave soon for your appointment.”

It all came crashing back to him. That’s why he wasn’t in school. He had to go back to see the doctor today. The doctor who was going to tell him what kind of leukemia he had.

Adrien closed his eyes, trying to organize his thoughts through the headache that was already pounding in his head. After a minute, he slowly sat up. After telling Nathalie he’d be ready soon, he dragged himself out of bed into the bathroom. 

He really needed a shower. He had fallen asleep in his clothes last night and felt really stiff and gross. At the same time, he dreaded showering. Taking a shower meant taking off his clothes, which meant he would see all the bruises on his body, which only served as a reminder of everything that was wrong.

Twenty minutes later, Adrien walked down the stairs to the entryway. Nathalie and the Gorilla were both waiting for him. As Nathalie turned toward the door, Adrien took a breath and asked, “Is Father coming with today?”

Nathalie paused before answering. “No, he is not able to come today. He wishes he could, but he is busy with the deadline for his next collection coming up. I will keep him updated on what the doctors say, and he hopes to be able to video call into the meeting.”

“Oh. Okay,” Adrien sighed. He had hoped that his father would go with this time. For the first appointment, he had only been accompanied by Nathalie and the Gorilla, who drove them. She was the one who always took him to appointments, and there hadn’t been much reason to worry yet, so he hadn’t been bothered by his father’s absence. But when they had been called back the next day, his father still hadn’t come. Adrien was disappointed, but not surprised. His father had always been distant, making decisions about Adrien’s life while never being present. Though Adrien had hoped that it would be different when it came to his health, especially after what his mother went through. Adrien remembered how unwell she had becomel before she had gone missing, so gradually that it had taken him a while to notice. His father had been very concerned during that time, and was distraught when she disappeared. He wondered, not for the first time, if his father saw him as less important than his mother had been.

Adrien shook his head, chasing away the thought. He’s a busy man, he thought. He does care, and he trusts Nathalie enough to not go himself. He followed his father’s assistant to the car, trying to convince himself that he believed what he was telling himself was true. 

\----------

“Acute myeloid leukemia.”

Adrien stopped taking in the doctor’s words. There was a name for it. There was a name for the disease running through his blood. The reality of it came crashing down. It was real. Until this moment, it had been more of an abstract idea, something that didn’t really connect to him. But know he knew for sure. He had cancer. He couldn’t pretend it didn’t exist anymore.

But if they had a name, they knew how they could beat it.

Adrien snapped back into the present. The doctor was still talking, but Adrien hadn’t heard a thing.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that? What does this mean?”

Dr. Leveque gave him a gentle smile. “Acute myeloid leukemia is a cancer in the blood and bone marrow. The bone marrow is where blood stem cells are made. These immature blood cells develop into myeloid stem cells and lymphoid stem cells, which in turn develop into healthy mature cells that become either red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets, and are released into the bloodstream.

“However, in your case, those immature cells aren’t developing correctly. Instead of developing into healthy mature blood cells, the myeloid stem cells are instead developing into a type of immature white blood cell called myeloblasts. Myeloblasts, or leukemia cells, don’t develop into healthy cells. They build up in the bone marrow and in the blood, leaving less room for healthy cells. This leads to anemia. That’s why you’ve been fatigues and been bruising easily. The acute in the name means that it came on quickly.”

Adrien took a moment to take this in before replying, “So you’re saying that my body forgot how to make blood correctly.”

The doctor chuckled. “You could put it that way.”

It was then that Nathalie cleared her throat and spoke, “What is Adrien’s prognosis?”

This was the question Adrien had been avoiding thinking about. He looked at the doctor, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

Pausing to take a breath, Dr. Leveque replied. “It’s hard to say at this point. The average five-year survival rate for children with AML is 65-75 percent. Adrien doesn’t have any of the common risk factors for AML. No family history of AML, no previous cancer treatment. While his blood counts aren’t too terribly low at this point, it will really depend on how he responds to treatment.”

Adrien took a steadying breath to fight the rising panic. Not knowing his prognosis didn’t mean that he wouldn’t get better. He would just have to make it through treatment. It would be okay. It would be okay. It would-

“What is the plan of treatment?” Thank goodness for Nathalie. She sat there, collected as ever, poised to take notes on her tablet.

The doctor adjusted his glasses and replied, “Treatment for AML is divided into two main phases. The first phase is induction therapy, when we try to get the AML into remission. We will be using two chemotherapy drugs, daunorubicin and cytarabine, in this phase. These drugs will be administered through a port in three two-week cycles, with a two-week break in between. At this point, we will take another bone marrow biopsy to determine the effectiveness of the treatment.”

Adrien frowned. “Wait, you said the chemo would be administered through a port. What’s that?”

The doctor rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a pamphlet to give Adrien. “A port is a small reservoir with a catheter that is implanted into the upper chest and attached to a vein. It does require surgery, but it is a minimally invasive procedure, and the port can remain in for the duration of treatment. Once in, it will show as a raised area on the chest, but it is easily covered by clothing.”

Nathalie paused in her notetaking to look at the doctor. “Is the procedure necessary for Adrien’s treatment?”

“A port is highly recommended for both the patient’s comfort and safety. The chemotherapy drugs can be harsh on the blood vessels. If administered to the smaller veins in the arm, they can damage the blood vessels. With the port, the chemo is administered into a large vein near the heart, allowing it to flow throughout the body more quickly, minimizing damage to the veins. It can also be used to draw blood samples. A port allows us to avoid sticking needles in your arms. Since the skin over the port is numbed before use, it’s much more comfortable. And the procedure to implant the port is very safe. A local anesthesia is used, and only two small incisions are made. The site is usually healed in about a week.”

Nathalie nodded. “Very well. Adrien will have a port implanted for the duration of his treatment.”

Dr. Leveque looked at Nathalie in surprise. “I’m sorry, but only a parent or guardian can give permission for any procedures or treatment that Adrien receives. The hospital will need to contact Mr. Agreste about the port.”

Nathalie impatiently continued taping at her tablet. “If you check Adrien’s files, you will see that Mr. Agreste has given me permission to make medical decisions for Adrien on his behalf.”

Adrien’s head snapped around to look at Nathalie incredulously. She could make medical decisions? Since when? He tried to ignore the hurt that stabbed at him at those words.

It’s because Father trusts her, he told himself. It doesn’t mean he cares any less.

After giving Nathalie a guarded look, Dr. Leveque tapped at a few keys on the computer, apparently bringing up Adrien’s file to verify Nathalie’s claim. After a minute he nodded.

“My apologies, Ms. Sancoeur. In that case, I would like to begin Adrien’s treatment as soon as possible. Tomorrow, if possible. We would like to implant the port first thing in the morning, and begin the chemo infusion in the afternoon. While most patients would remain in the hospital during treatment, Adrien’s counts are high enough that he may be able to undergo this round of treatment as an outpatient.”

Nathalie nodded. “If possible, Mr. Agreste would like to keep Adrien at home. We will see to it that he remains in an environment conducive to his recovery.”

Adrien tuned out the conversation as the adults discussed the details of his care. Tomorrow. He would begin chemo tomorrow. It didn’t feel real. It was as if they were discussing someone else. Not him. It was like his brain couldn’t catch up to reality. 

But it is real.

With that thought, dread settled heavily on Adrien’s chest.

\--------

Adrien flopped down on his bed, glad to be home again. It had been a long day with way more information thrown at him than he could process. No way he could remember everything. He’d have to ask Nathalie for a copy of her notes later.

He watched as Plagg disappeared into the minifridge, presumably to get some more camembert. He had been deprived all day of cheese, stuck with Adrien in the endless meetings at the hospital. Adrien made a mental note to bring some camembert with when he went in for the chemo appointments. 

Sighing, Adrien pulled out his phone. He had a few more texts from Nino, asking how he was and if he needed the notes from class. He was dreading this call, but he couldn’t avoid it forever. He hit the dial button.

After a few rings, Nino’s voice came through the phone. “Dude! How are you! You’ve been MIA for like three days! What’s up?”

“Hey, Nino. I’ve been-” Adrien hesitated, “- sick.” 

“Bummer. You better get better soon, dude. Class has been totally boring without you. I’ve had to sit by myself. I need my bro back. And Chloe’s been complaining like nonstop about how with you gone she’s the only cultured person in class or something. It’s getting really old. But anyway,you on the mend?”

“No, not really. It’s… going to be a while.” Adrien cringed at his own response. What an understatement.

“Well, I hope you get better soon. Want me to send you my notes so you can keep up?”

“I’m not coming back.” The words tumbled out before he could stop them. 

“I’m sorry, what?”

Adrien took a breath and said, “My father’s pulling me out. I won’t be back at school.”

There was silence for a moment, before Nino exploded. Adrien yanked the phone away from his ear as Nino yelled, “Seriously? Why? What reason does he have this time? Does he think you caught whatever bug you have from someone at school? You could have gotten it anywhere! At a photoshoot! Or your fencing competition last week! That’s so unfair! Next time I see him I’m gonna-”

“I have cancer.” The words just came out in a rush, like he was physically unable to hold them in anymore. Adrien winced. That wasn’t how he wanted to say it. 

He waited for Nino to reply. It was quiet for so long, he was about to check and see if the call had been dropped when he heard Nino say in a low voice, “You have what?”

Adrien let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He’d said it.

“I have cancer. Leukemia, specifically.” It was easier to say it the second time.

“What? Since when? How?” Nino spluttered. He was apparently having as hard a time processing as Adrien was.

“Acute myeloid leukemia. Since today. Well, diagnosed today. And I don’t know how. I don’t have any of the common risk factors. It just kinda came out of nowhere. I guess that happens sometimes.” 

There was a muffled thump on the other end of the line, like Nino had just sat down hard. “Dude. I don’t believe it.”

Adrien chuckled dryly. “Yeah. Me neither.”

“So I guess I can’t be mad at your dad for pulling you out of school now.”

“Trust me, I would much rather be there.” Adrien heard Nino huff, not quite a laugh.

“So what does that mean for you? Like, what stage is it? How are they going to treat it?”

Adrien stood up and started pacing, unable to sit still while talking about it. “There’s not really stages. It’s a blood cancer, so there isn’t a way to put it in stages. I’ll get chemotherapy infusions daily for two weeks starting tomorrow. But at least I get to stay at home right now, so I only have to go into the hospital for a few hours a day.”

“Well, I guess that’s one bright side. How many people know?”

Adrien sighed. “You’re the first person I’ve told. It’s only a matter of time before the media finds out, and I wanted you to hear it from me. Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“Don’t worry about it bro. And I’m here for you, whatever you need.”

“Well, I hate to ask you to do this, but can you tell the rest of the class? I’m going to call Chloe tonight, but after that I don’t know if I’ll be able to have this conversation too many times.”

Nino replied immediately, “Of course. You just worry about kicking this thing in the butt.”

Adrien smiled. Nino really was the best friend he could ask for. “Thanks, man. I should go now. I still gotta call Chloe, and I need to be up pretty early. I’ll text you tomorrow.”

“Okay, dude. Let me know if there’s anything you need.”

After ending his conversation with Nino, Adrien sat down on his bed. He was so tired. He could feel his exhaustion weighing down on him.

_I should get this over with before I fall asleep_. Adrien found Chloe’s contact in his phone, and after a moment’s pause, he called his childhood friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! It's a bit of a slow start, but there's a lot of exposition that needs to happen. I have another two chapters written and ready to go, so I'll probably get those up the next two Wednesdays.


	3. Nausea

Adrien was already sick of needles. In the last few days he’d been poked so many times he’d lost count. Multiple blood draws, giant needle from the bone marrow biopsy, the needle used to numb the site when the port was implanted. 

He resisted the urge to reach up and rub the spot on his chest. It was still numb from the anesthetic, but he was sure he would be sore once it wore off. 

The nurse pushed Adrien down the hall from the operating room to the pediatric oncology ward where he was to begin his first chemo treatment. He had protested the wheelchair, saying that he felt fine and could walk, but the doctor had been insistent. He was already weakened from the leukemia, and had just undergone a procedure. And so Adrien was being wheeled through the halls by a nurse, with Nathalie dutifully following behind.

He tried to not be upset that his father wasn’t here today. Gabriel was a busy man, and this would be a daily occurrence for the next couple of weeks. He couldn’t put everything on hold every day. But a small voice in Adrien’s head still whispered that if his father cared he would be here today. Adrien did his best to ignore it.

They finally reached the outpatient treatment facility. Adrien was taken to a small, private room and was settled into a comfortable armchair. Nathalie sat nearby in the room, but in a much less comfortable chair.

A different nurse from the one who had brought him to the room came in and introduced herself as Mathilde before busying herself preparing him for treatment. She was a woman in probably her forties, and he could tell from the assured way she took his vitals and set up the IV bags that she had been doing this for a long time. He felt a bit better knowing that his nurse knew what she was doing. 

After Mathilde had donned the protective gear she needed to handle the chemotherapy drugs, she paused and looked at Adrien.

“Are you ready, dear?” Her voice was gentle and motherly.

Adrien couldn’t bring himself to speak, but he nodded anyway. He watched as the needle was poked into the raised spot on his chest, though he couldn’t feel it. The IV started, bringing the medication that was supposed to heal him into his veins.

Mathilde continued to speak to him as she removed her protective equipment. “The IV will run for about two hours. I’ll be in to check on you periodically, but if there’s anything you need at all, don’t hesitate to press the call button by your chair. Is there anything else I can get you?”

Adrien shook his head and settled back in the chair. Mathilde stayed in the room for another twenty minutes to make sure he didn’t have an adverse reaction to the medication before leaving to attend to her other duties.

The room was silent except for the soft noises from the medical equipment and Nathalie tapping on her tablet. Adrien closed his eyes. He’d better get used to this. It was his life now.

\--------

Adrien closed his eyes as another wave of nausea swept over him. The chemo must be doing something after four days, because Adrien always felt like he was on the verge of throwing up. Thankfully, this wave passed and he managed to hold it down. 

The Gorilla navigated the car out of the parking garage, leaving after the day’s round of chemo. It was just the two of them today. Nathalie had had other matters to attend to. Even though he had barely done anything, Adrien was exhausted. He was getting tired of fighting the urge to vomit, and often losing that battle.

As they drove through Paris, Adrien heard sirens in the distance. Moments later, an alert pinged on his phone. He pulled it out and saw that it was from the Ladyblog. There was an akuma at the botanical gardens near the Seine. 

The Gorilla must have realized what was happening and sped up. Adrien sat anxiously in the back seat. He would have to wait until he got home to transform and get away. He hoped Ladybug would be okay until then.

The moment they reached the manor, Adrien rushed off to his room, saying he needed to go lay down. He knew that would buy him some time, since the staff all knew he needed to rest often. Once he reached his room and closed the door, he paused to catch his breath. Even walking quickly through the house was enough to tire him now.

Plagg came out of where he had been hiding in Adrien’s shirt. “Are you sure you’re okay to go out there, kid?” He had a worried expression in his green eyes.

Adrien ignored the kwami’s concern. “Of course I am. Ladybug needs me. Plagg, claws out!”

As the familiar green light washed over him, Adrien felt instant relief from the nausea. According to Plagg, the magic of the miraculous was able to suppress the symptoms while he was transformed, but not completely get rid of them. If he pushed himself too hard, he’d feel it. And once he detransformed, it would be much worse. He’d learned that the hard way after patrol two nights ago.

But this wasn’t the time to worry about that. Paris was in danger, and Chat Noir had a duty to fulfill. 

\-------

It wasn’t hard to find the akuma. All he had to do was follow the trail of giant thorny vines sprouting up from the ground. They covered buildings and broke up the concrete on the streets. Chat Noir even saw some cars crushed by them. Many of them had large red roses blooming on them.

When Chat Noir caught up, he was just in time to see Ladybug dodge a handful of seeds. The moment they hit the ground, more vines burst up and grasped at everything within reach. The seeds were thrown by a woman with green tinted skin. She had thorny vines growing from her head instead of hair, topped by a crown of roses. Her dress also seemed to be made of roses, trailing petals wherever she went. In one hand, she held a large pair of pruning shears. A sack was slung across her body, which seemed to be where she pulled the seeds from. She yelled out, “You won’t get away! My roses are the finest in Paris!”

Ladybug swung away and onto a nearby rooftop, where Chat Noir joined her.

“Looks like we’ve got a thorny situation here, My Lady.” 

Ladybug glanced over at him. “You could say that. What took you so long to get here?”

Chat Noir gave a playful shrug. “I stopped to smell the roses on the way. Do we know what her problem is?”

“From what I can tell, she was at a garden show. Her roses were passed over for first place, which led her to become The Gardener.”

Ladybug and Chat Noir leapt apart as another handful of seeds came their way, leaving twisting rose vines where they had stood moments before.

“Well then,” Chat Noir grinned cockily as he landed, “We’d better prune her down to size. Do you know where the akuma’s hiding?”

Ladybug landed on the next roof over, keeping her focus on the green woman. “I think it’s in the shears, but possibly in the bag.”

With that, the two heroes moved in unison, splitting to flank the akumatized person. It was hard to get close, with the seeds flying at them and giant vines everywhere. Chat Noir extended his baton, using it to jump to another roof. As he came down, he felt a wave of nausea hit him. It wasn’t as bad as it had been, but it was just enough to distract him. He hit the roof hard, and he barely had time to role away as vines reached for him. He felt a thorn scape across the suit, but the magical armor held.

“Chat Noir!” He heard Ladybug call for him, heard the worry in her voice. She tried to swing over to him, but a shower of seeds fell between them, a rosy tangle of vines cutting her off.

Chat Noir climbed to his feet, a little unsteady as he pushed down the nausea. He could get through this. He’d dealt with worse. So he pasted on a smile and assured his Lady, “Not to worry, bugaboo, it takes more than that to sup-plant me.”

Ladybug only had time to nod in reply before having to leap backward to avoid becoming a walking flower bed. She ducked behind a chimney and threw her yo-yo up in the air. “Lucky charm!” A large fan fell down toward her. She barely managed to catch it, surprised to find that it was fairly light, despite being almost as big as her.

Chat continued to dodge around the akuma, drawing her fire away from Ladybug. “I can’t be-leaf how bad your aim is. All those seeds and you haven’t hit us yet. Maybe you should-” He helped as he was caught off guard by a vine that sprouted directly behind him. It began to curl around his leg, but with a hit from his staff he managed to hold it off just long enough to get free. He glanced over to Ladybug, hoping she had a plan soon. His nausea was starting to come back, and he could feel himself tiring.

“Chat! We need to draw her out of these vines! Try to get her in front of the bank over there!” Chat Noir saw the spotted heroine take off, lugging a giant polka-dotted fan with her. He turned back to the flowery akuma.

“Hey Rosy, no wonder your flowers lost. I’ve seen plastic bouquets that look better than these!”

The Gardener let out an angry shriek, “How dare you insult my precious roses! I’ll make you see that they are the most beautiful roses in the world! I’ll make you all see!”

Well, Chat Noir definitely had her attention now. He continued to dodge seeds and vines, manuevered the woman into position in front of the bank. A quick glance showed him that Ladybug had found an extension cord somewhere and was plugging in the fan. 

As he landed on the roof of the bank, Ladybug called out to him. “Get ready to go for the akumatized object!”

Chat grinned. “Let’s whack this weed!”

The Gardener pulled another handful of seeds out of her bag. Just as she went to throw them, Ladybug flipped the switch on the fan. The machine whirred to life, and the seeds all flew backward from the akuma as soon as she released them, bursting into vines half a block away. The woman shrieked and continued to throw fistful after fistful of seeds, all of them blowing away before they could land.

Chat knew his opening when he saw it. “Cataclysm!” With the dark energy surrounding his hand, he leapt forward off the roof, letting the wind from the fan give him more momentum. He landed right in front of the akuma and dodge to the side, bringing his hand up to the shears in her hand. The tool dissolved to dust, and a black butterfly started to fly away.

“Gotcha!” Ladybug’s yo-yo shot out and captured the akuma. She opened it again a moment later and watched as the now-white butterfly flew away. “Bye-bye, little butterfly.” She threw the fan into the air, and a swarm of ladybugs swept over Paris, taking away all the stray roses and vines, leaving only a confused middle-aged woman in the streets.

Chat Noir went to her side. “Well, bugaboo, I’d say we rose to the occasion.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes, but her smile showed that she was pleased. She held out her fist to her partner. He gladly met it with his own. “Pound it!”

The moment after their fists touched, Chat felt his stomach lurch again. He fought to keep his smile in place, but he knew it would look forced.

Ladybug’s own smile faded into a look of concern.” Are you okay, Chaton? Did you get hurt?”

Chat waved off the question. “I’m fine, My Lady. I think I caught a bug, but it’s not too bad. I’ll be right as rain in a day or two.”

Ladybug didn’t look convinced, but she nodded anyway. “If you say so. If you’re not feeling well, I can stay and help the victim and deal with the press. You should go home and rest.”

Chat Noir opened his mouth to protest, but quickly closed it again. His nausea was getting worse, and he knew he needed to get home. He smiled at his partner, “Thanks Bug, you’re the best. I’ll see you on patrol.”

With a salute, he extended his staff to lift himself onto the nearest roof and took off towards home. In his hurry, he didn’t see Ladybug’s face fill with worry as she watched him go.

Chat Noir made record time across Paris, dropping unceremoniously into his room. He stumbled straight to the bathroom, his transformation dropping just as he reached the toilet and heaved into the bowl. The magic had held off the worst of it during the fight, but it was coming up with a vengeance now. He felt Plagg’s small paw rubbing his back, grateful for the comfort. He continued to heave, until there was nothing left in his stomach but bile. 

Adrien slumped down, resting his sweating head against the cool tile of the bathroom wall. He was completely drained. Plagg silently floated off and returned with a glass of water, which Adrien took with a shaky hand. He rinsed his mouth and spat into the toilet bowl. He didn’t have the energy to move. His bed seemed so far away. He just sat there on the bathroom floor, wishing for everything to get better.


End file.
